I have been living the vegan lifestyle (or attempting to) for almost a year. For a year previous to that, I had been lacto-ovo.

I stepped up my game once I read into veganism, and once I had starting shedding some excess pounds.

Here's the deal, though... I live at home as a student, and I am the only vegan/vegetarian in my family. With that comes food like ice cream, cake, mac and cheese... the list goes on and on. I try and stay away from these foods because I know in my heart that it is wrong to eat animal products. I know the facts. And I know if I let myself go back down that path, I will gain the weight back at the expense of mine and the animals' health.

But I still can't kick it. So I need motivation and/or advice. I'm not asking for some secret mantra or Hail Mary; I just need help.

You stay motivated by reminding yourself of the bad things you are getting away from and the good things you are getting and have to look forward to. Motivation is also generated by investing time and thought into something.

- learn about vegan nutrition, so you stay feeling good ( see my sig )- learn 5 vegan recipes that you really enjoy making for yourself- make more vegan friends- volunteer with a local AR or vegan group. If you don't have one make one- read The China Study- read The Engine 2 Diet- watch videos of the treatment of factory farm animals, particularly egg and dairy animals- go to AR/vegan events

[quote="VegRugby"]I have been living the vegan lifestyle (or attempting to) for almost a year. For a year previous to that, I had been lacto-ovo.

I stepped up my game once I read into veganism, and once I had starting shedding some excess pounds.

Here's the deal, though... I live at home as a student, and I am the only vegan/vegetarian in my family. With that comes food like ice cream, cake, mac and cheese... the list goes on and on. I try and stay away from these foods because I know in my heart that it is wrong to eat animal products. I know the facts. And I know if I let myself go back down that path, I will gain the weight back at the expense of mine and the animals' health.

But I still can't kick it. So I need motivation and/or advice. I'm not asking for some secret mantra or Hail Mary; I just need help.

The solution is to have lots of vegan food available at all time. The solution is to never be hungry. The solution is to surround yourself with vegan food.

If the choice is there, and you make the bad choice, then that's on you. But right now, it seems like you are paddling upstream because good vegan choices are rare, complicated, and difficult.

In my case, going *not* vegan would be difficult because my life is set up vegan. It would take a bit of work to even have non-vegan food/wearables around me. That's what you should aim for. Veganism then gets real easy.

"The worker has the right to leave his boss, but can she do it? And if she does quit him, is it in order to lead a free life; where she will have no master but herself? No, she leaves to sell herself to another employer. She's driven by the same hunger. Thus the worker's liberty is only a theoretical freedom, lacking any means of realization; an utter falsehood."-Bakunin

Each time you feel tempted by a non vegan treat just remind yourself where it comes from and the pain and suffering involved in its production... getting organised so you have vegan goodies to hand is a must though

You might gain motivation from reading the books by Dr. Neal Barnard or Dr. Esselystyn or his son ( The Engine Two Diet ). You don't have to go low fat, but those books explain why vegan whole foods help improve health and make it easier to lose weight. That could help with your motivation there.

[quote]We have a local PETA that I protest with, I don't have much cooking experience. I can make teriyaki tofu from dry frying, but that's it. Can you suggest some easy recipes?

Good recipes are subjective, not everyone likes the same things. Most libraries have cookbooks for vegetarianism, some veganism and some for legumes/whole grains you can veganize. There are also a number of recipe books you can buy and try out. Then there are many free online vegan recipe sites

The central point that getting motivated doesn't happen by waiting for it like a sailor waiting for wind to fill his sails. Motivation gets generated from getting moving, getting involved, like the way electricity gets generated by a turbine moving.

Get involved with vegan activities and vegan people. Your motivation to stay vegan will get reinforced.

I second what xrod said: it's systemic--and I couldn't put it any better than that.

First, as xrod said, get yourself set up with supplies: energy bars for snacks, "instant" vegan meals for emergencies, and getting accustomed to preparing your own meals--whether that meal is a sandwich (everyone can make a sandwich!), pasta, veggie burgers, or what have you. If you can, hook up with someone you like that can show you how to prepare a nice meal--it's what I did and I learned about chocolate covered almonds stuffed in pitted dates--whaaaaaaat?! Delicious!

Second (as others have mentioned) stay informed: read, watch videos, participate in on-line discussions (like this one--so kudos to you!). Whatever you do, don't let the information anger you when you're having a discussion with a non-vegan. You know why you're right. Getting angry with other people doesn't help. You're cool.

Third: inform yourself about 'complimentary' information: on a sustainable vegan diet your body becomes primed for maximum health. What else primes your body and pumps you with energy? Learn about how you sleep and/or what amount you need (it's interesting!); study fitness, nutrition and training (there are great YouTube gurus for this--I like Scooby1961). It's so interesting!

Fourth, and this may seem far-out--spend time with animals. They are awesome, loveable, intelligent, warm and responsive. They're not shoes, or bags, or clothes. But you know this. We all do--which is why we're here.